EVs surge ahead

EV registrations are up 709 in May figures from the Ministry of Transport with 27,436 recorded for the month compared with 26,727 in April – which was up 600 on March.

It’s the second biggest jump this year, behind the 905 leap in EV registrations in March compared with February.

New light pure electrics and new light plug-in hybrids are leading the way, although used light pure electrics have the numbers at 13,745 in May (up 218 on April’s 13,527).

By comparison, new light pure electrics went up by 288 – from 6412 in April to 6700 in May, probably due to several new EV models becoming available.

New light PHEVs rose 118 from 4074 in April to 4192 in May, while used light PHEV registrations went up 82 from 2473 to 2555.

Heavy EV increased by three from 241 to 244.

It remains to be seen whether June and July will be the quieter months for EV uptake, but the arrival of more regular shipments like China-made Tesla Model 3s could counter that idea.

Drive Electric chair Mark Gilbert says the latest EV registrations show the switch is taking place.

“New Zealand needs to get on the EV shopping list,” he says, adding that messages from the Climate Change Commission and the Ministry of Transport will help guide people towards making an EV decision, especially with signals that 2030 will start to see the end of fossil fuel vehicles.